Course Overview and Objectives
The course introduces students to the fundamental concepts in the design
and implementation of computer networks, their protocols and applications.
Topics to be covered include the layered network architecture model, focusing
on the application, transport, network and link layers. There will also
be discussions on wireless networking and internet security issues. Individual
and team projects will give students the opportunity to investigate additional
topics of interest.
The objective of this course is to introduce students to
computer networks. Through the material presented in this
course, students will learn:

Fundamental networking principles, and the current implementation (i.e.,the Internet)

The historical layered network architecture model, along with how the model is evolving,

To analyze the strengths and benefits of the Internet architecture, including security and privacy issues,

The far reaching effects of computer networks on human society,

To improve oral and written communication skills

Assignments
The schedule below lists the reading for each class period.
Students are expected to do the reading before coming to class, in order to be fully prepared to solidify the
material in the class period.
There will be almost-weekly homework assignments, that will include questions
from the text, one programming assignment and a number of labs with Wireshark, a network
analyzer. There will also be one midterm exam and a final exam.

Wireshark Labs
The wireshark network sniffer, packet analyzer can be downloaded from
Wireshark. An html version of the user's guide can be found
at user's guide.html, and a pdf version of the user's
guide can be downloaded from
user's guide.pdf. The wireshark user's guide states the following:
"This guide is not intended to explain network sniffing in general and it will not provide details about
specific network protocols. A lot of useful information regarding these topics can be found at the
Wireshark Wiki"

Homework format
Students are encouraged to work together to understand the concepts,
but each student must hand in her own
solutions. All assignments are to be neatly written or
typed, and stapled, with your name and date. Note that
students are expected to follow the Honor Code for all work
in this course. Copying on homework or quizzes/exams,
and other violations will be brought to the honor board.

The purpose of the homework is for you to have the
opportunity to practice the skills and
concepts from class. Since homework is the time to practice,
you are not expected to have perfects solutions at all
times. You are expected to do your best work for each
problem however.
A complete attempt includes identifying what is known,
articulating what you are solving, stating any assumptions,
properly labeling figures, and clearly
and neatly documenting your progression towards a final
result. Homework solutions may be compiled from the
solutions submitted by the class, so it is very important
that your solutions can be clearly understood by all!

Project
There will be a small group project in which students will
be able to demonstrate their knowledge building during the semester.
Intermediate stages of the project (topic selection, bibliography...) will be handed in as
homework assignments during the semester.

Exams
There will be one midterm exam in-class and a final, self-scheduled exam, used to
solidify concepts and learning assess progress.

Class attendance
Students are required to attend class and participate in class
discussions and problem solving exercises. The course grade is 20% participation - as
important as homework and the project!This means that you must be in class and participate in the discussions to receive
full credit for this portion of the course.

Grading
Grades in this course are designed to represent your achievement of the objectives
listed above. The course components that will make up your grade are listed below.

ASSIGNMENT

GRADE CONTRIBUTION

Homework sets & labs

20%

Class particpation

15%

Project

20%

Midterm exam

20%

Final exam

25%

Late Policy
All homework assignments are to be submitted at the time specified; late
assignments will be penalized at the rate of one point per
minute unless you have requested and received and extension
at least 24 hours before the deadline. However, each
student will have a total of 1 hour (60 minutes) grace time
to be used as desired by that student over the course of the
semester, such that you can have a semester total of 60
tardy minutes for homework and labs without penalty (note
that these minutes cannot be used for in-class reading
questions, quizzes or exams).

Honor Code
The homework assignments that you submit must be your own
work. You are encouraged to discuss the problems and
essay questions with your classmates and work on them together,
but each student must work out her own answers. It is not
okay to copy answers from another student's homework - doing
so is a violation of the Honor Code. Note that it is a
violation of the honor code to 1) use or copy another
student's work, and 2) provide another student with your
work. Projects will be done in small groups. Exams must be
exclusively each student's own work, following the
instructions provided with each exam. Do not hesitate to ask
any questions that you may have concerning the honor code!